Just Picture This: A Weekend Worth Writing Home About

Southern California’s final summer weekend will be a picture-postcard special--fair skies, warm temperatures and challenging surf--the National Weather Service said Thursday.

The storm system that made the early days of this week seem like a refugee from midwinter is weakening and moving away toward the Rockies, meteorologists explained, and Hurricane Sandra is generating strong wave action from its location in the Pacific about 900 miles south of Los Angeles.

Surfers at south-facing beaches can expect sets from 4 to 7 feet on a very slow 13- to 14-second interval for the next day or two, forecasters said, with water temperature in the high 60s--a few degrees below air temperature--and an afternoon sea breeze to 15 m.p.h.

A small craft advisory was in effect Thursday and was expected to remain so today for yachtsmen planning to explore the outer waters from Point Conception to San Clemente Island, caused by northwest winds to 25 knots and combined seas reaching 7 feet or more.

Winds to Decrease

Twenty-five m.p.h. northeast winds that whipped Southern California mountains Thursday were expected to decrease today and Saturday, with afternoon temperatures to the upper 70s and lows in the mid-40s, and desert visitors were told to look for sunny skies with temperatures to the 90s.

Ensenada’s weekend should see some high clouds from the edge of Hurricane Sandra, the weather service said, but temperatures were expected to reach the low 80s with only the mildest hint of wind.

San Francisco, too, was expecting afternoon and evening winds. The forecast called for 10- to 20-m.p.h. westerlies, with temperatures to the 70s. Scattered showers with a snow level descending below 7,000 feet were predicted for the northern Sierra.

High temperature at Los Angeles Civic Center on Thursday was 85, with relative humidity ranging from 23% to 67%, and today was expected to be a few degrees warmer--and sunny.